Thermocouple and mounting clamp therefor



THERMOCOUPLE AND MOUNTING CLAMP THEREFOR Original Filed Feb. 28, 1945mmvrozc alias WAEHUE ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 19, 1952 THERMOCOUPLE ANDMOUNTING CLAMP THEREFOR .James"W..Kehoe, Shelby, Ohio Continuation ofapplication Serial No. 580,263, iEebruary'ZS, 1945. This applicationNovember '7, 1949,Serial No, 126,001

(Granted under the act of March v3, 1883, as

1 Claim.

' This invention relates to-new .an'druseful improvements inthermocouples, and more 'particularly to thermocouple terminalsorjunctions.

In many instances inindustrial andlaboratory work it is desirableor'necessary to determine the temperature of an object by the use ofa'thermocouple. I-Ieretofore, inthe'use of thermocouples it has been thepractice to solder or weld the thermocouple terminal or junction to thesurface of the object at the point thereon at which it is desired todetermine the'temperature. In numerous cases suchas,forexample,-electric cables, fluid pipes and conduits, rods and thelike, it is not feasible or desirable to weld or V solder a thermocoupleterminal or junction to. the object because of possible damage thereto,and prior to the present invention the use of thermocouples to determinetemperature has-been prohibited in such cases. Furthermore, even incaseswhere it is feasible to solder or weld a terminal or junction to such anobject, considerable time and effort is required to do so.

This application is a-continuation of application Serial No. 580,263,filed *February 28, 1945, now abandoned, for'Thermocouple. Junction.

With the foregoing in mind, the present invention has for its principalobj ectthe provision .of a novel thermocoupleterminal or junction thatmay be readily and quickly "applied .to and removed from objects-ofgenerally circular crossesection shape such as for example,electriccables, fluid pipes and conduits, rods, bearings, and the like.

Another object of the present invention'is to provide a novelthermocouple terminal or junction that may be attached mechanically toan object of the character set forth without welding or soldering.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel thermocoupleterminal or junction having the stated features which is highlyeflicient in operation, and characterized by its relatively simplified,inexpensive construction.

These and other objects of the invention, and the various features anddetails of the construction and operation thereof, are hereinafter fullyset forth and described with reference to the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a thermocouple terminal or junctiondevice embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the device shown in Fig. 1 with thebolt or other securing means removed.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1; and

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) Fig. 4 is a viewin perspectiveshowing adevice of the present invention applied to a. pipeor:conduit.

Referring now to thedrawingand more particularly to Figs. 1 and2thereof, a thermocouple terminal or junction made according to thepresent invention may comprise a generally U-shaped body structure Iconsisting of a backing strip 2 of predetermined length and a linerstrip 3 that underlies the backing strip 2 so as to be interposedbetween the latter and the surface of the object upon which 'thedeviceis secured. The backing strip 2 preferably iscomposed-of relativelyflexible material such as, for example, sheet metal or the like that maybe conformed readily to the exterior surface configuration of a cable,pipe, conduit, rod, bearingorsimilarly shaped object whose temperatureis to be determined, and the liner strip 3 preferably is composed offiexibledielectric material such as, for example, rubber or asuitablecomposition'material. The liner strip 3 maybe secured to'thebackingstrip 2 by a-suitable cement or glue that is relativelyfiexible'when set.

Adjacent one end-*d of the body I there is provided a single opening-5,-and adjacentthe other end G'ofsaid body there is provided aseries ofaligned openings 1 spacedat intervals lengthwise thereof. The opening 5is arranged to receive suitable clamping means such as a'bolt or thelike 8 that also extends through a-selected one of the openings 1adjacent-the other end-6 of the'body depending uponthesize of the objectabout which the device is to be clamped. With the bolt i8 positionedinthe proper opening "I of the body, the device'may be securely clampedabout the surface of the object by tightening a nut or the like 9 uponthe bolt 8.

Extending through the body 1 at a point lengthwise thereof that isrelatively remote from the ends thereof, is an insulator or sleeve Ii)that is composed of suitable dielectric material as best shown in Fig. 3of the drawing, this insulator or sleeve -10 may be provided with aradial flange I l at its inner end arranged to underlie the adjacentsurface of the body liner 3, and the exterior of said sleeve may bethreaded as indicated at E2 to receive a nut or similar member l3 to betightened against the exterior surface of the body 1 and secure thesleeve It against displacement from the body.

Suitably secured at the inner end of the sleeve In and arranged forcontact with the surfaceof the object about which the body I is clamped,is a thermocouple junction or contact Hi to as, for example, silversoldenand the conductors l and I6 preferably are composed of constantanand copper or iron, respectively. y The provision of the liner 3intermediate the backing strip 2 and the surface of the object to whichthe device may be applied serves effectively to eliminate allthermo-electric circuits except at the thermocouple junction contact l4,and, in addition to its dielectric properties, the liner 3 functionsalso to thermally insulate the terminal or junction 14 from the effector influence of heat sources extraneous or adjacent the object to whichthe device may be secured. In this manner, the invention provides asimple unitary thermocouple of general applicability, wherein a singlepoint contact is firmly engaged with the object to be tested, andwherein are eliminated all errors due either to other thermo-electriccircuits in' proximity to the contact or to the influence of heatsources extraneous to or adjacent the object.

Referring to Fig. 4 of the drawing, a thermocouple junction embodyingthe present invention is shown applied to a fluid pipe or conduit I!with the junction'or contact [4 of the device disposed in efficientthermal conductive engagement with the surface of the pipe for accuratedetermination of the temperature thereof.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the present inventionprovides a novel thermocouple junction that may be readily and quicklyapplied to and removed from objects of generally circular crosssectionshape such as, for' example, electric cables, fluid pipes and conduits,rods, bearings and the like. The invention also provides a novelthermocouple junction that may be attached mechanically to such objectswithout the use of solder or welding that might result in damagethereto. Furthermore, the invention provides a device that is highlyelficient in operation and characterized by its relatively simplified,inexpensive construction.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed herein, it is not intended that the invention be limited tosuch disclosure, and it is contemplated that changes and modificationsmay be made and incorporated within the scope of the following claim.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmentalpurposes, without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor. g

What is claimed is:

A thermocouple comprising an elongated flexible body arranged toencircle an object, a flexibl'e'liner of thermally insulating materialsecured to said body and arranged for surface engagement with the objectencircled, said body and said liner having an aperture therein, an

insulating sl'eeveLhaving a flange at one end thereof, said sleeve beingreceived by said aperture so that the flange thereof engages saidflexible liner, a contact element of a material having high electricalconducting properties secured to said flange and adapted to contact saidobject, means for securing said sleeve to said flexible body andliner, apair of thermocouple conductors having, dissimilar properties fixedly.connected to said contact element, said insulating sleeve preventingcontact between the contact element and the associated pair ofthermocouple conductors, and the flexible body, and means to clamp saidbody tightlyabout the object whereby the contact element is held intight engagement with the surface of the object.

JAMES W. KEHOE.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references'areof record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Underwood et al.: AutomotiveIndustries, page 573, June 15, 1940. V

Houghten et al.: Temperature, its Measurement and Control in Science andIndustry (1941), page857. i

Revere Bulletin, pa ge 2, December'7, 1944.

